214 SPICES 



CHAP. 



they amount to a serious evil, tending greatly to the 

 diminution of the output. The Korahedi is distin- 

 guished by quick growth, but before the sticks are old 

 enough for peeling the bark becomes rough and scaly, 

 the cuticle thickens, becomes corky, and splits down to 

 the inner bark or true cinnamon. It is very difficult 

 to deal with if peelable at all, and the coolies will not 

 cut a stick of it as long as there is anything else to cut. 

 The Velli grows quicker than any other kind of cinnamon, 

 being often at two years' growth 4 or 5 in. in girth and 

 8 or 10 ft. tall, but it can very seldom be peeled and 

 only makes a very coarse spice, or the least valuable 

 kind of chips. As these two cinnamons are oftener left 

 to go to seed on estates than the good kind, there is 

 greater difficulty in getting the good kind, and these 

 poor varieties often get accidentally planted. It is easy 

 to . eradicate them if the plants are planted singly, 

 but if mixed in a bush they must be allowed to 

 remain. 



Weeding. During the growth of the bushes it is 

 advisable to attend to the weeding of the ground, and 

 to hoe out any weeds, and especially climbing plants, 

 which may interfere with the growth of the plant by 

 turning round the stems. The plantation will usually 

 require weeding three or four times a year for the first 

 two or three years, after which twice a year should be 

 sufficient, as the plants should by then have formed 

 bushes sufficiently large to check the growth of the 

 weeds to a large extent. The weeds dug out should 

 not be removed, but either burnt and the ashes restored 

 to the ground, or buried in holes between the bushes. 

 The leaves, twigs, and other waste should not be placed 

 at the base of the bush in this or any other cultivation 

 of the same kind, but in a middle row between the 

 bushes. The growing part of the root is the one 

 which wants feeding, and that is at the farthest point 

 from the tree. The roots spread widely and soon reach 

 the underground rubbish pit, absorbing nutriment from 

 it. The farther the roots spread, the better the de- 



